# Mole Valley

Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking, and the district's other town is Leatherhead. The largest villages are Ashtead, Fetcham and Great Bookham, in the northern third of the district.
Most of the district is on the escarpments of or adjoins the Surrey Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which cover parts of the North Downs and Greensand Ridge, including locally Leith Hill, Polesden Lacey and Box Hill. Denbies Wine Estate, the largest vineyard in the country, is on the hills north-west of Dorking. The Pilgrims' Way footpath runs along the North Downs. There are stations on the London–Worthing and Reading–Gatwick Airport railways, and in the northern third, a commuter stopping-service pattern line, London–Guildford (via Epsom) line.
The A24 road and the M25 motorway are the main thoroughfares and relative to London the incidence of car ownership is high. The area hosts hill-focussed sub-laps of the London–Surrey Classic cycling tour each year.
The neighbouring districts are Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead, Crawley, Horsham, Waverley, Guildford, Elmbridge and Kingston upon Thames, the latter being a London borough.

## History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering three former districts which were all abolished at the same time:
* Dorking and Horley Rural District (except Horley and Salfords and Sidlow which went to Reigate and Banstead and parts of the parishes of Charlwood and Horley around Gatwick Airport which went to Crawley)
* Dorking Urban District
* Leatherhead Urban District
The new district was named after the River Mole, which flows through the area.

## Governance

Mole Valley District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. Parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.

### Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2019.
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1980 |
| Independent | 1980–1982 |
| No overall control | 1982–1994 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994–1995 |
| No overall control | 1995–2006 |
| Conservative | 2006–2010 |
| No overall control | 2010–2015 |
| Conservative | 2015–2018 |
| No overall control | 2018–2019 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2019–present |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2012 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| James Friend | Conservative | | May 2012 |
| Chris Townsend | Independent | May 2012 | 2015 |
| James Friend | Conservative | May 2015 | 2016 |
| Vivienne Michael | Conservative | 2016 | May 2019 |
| Stephen Cooksey | Liberal Democrats | May 2019 | |

### Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Liberal Democrats | 31 |
| | Ashtead Independents | 6 |
| | Conservative | 2 |
| Total | Total | 39 |
The next election is due in 2026.

### Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Surrey County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.
Most of the district lies within the Mole Valley constituency, the exception being Ashtead which is within the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

### Premises

The council is based at Pippbrook on Reigate Road in Dorking, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1984. It was built in the grounds of a large Victorian house, called Pippbrook House, which had served as the headquarters of the old Dorking Urban District Council from 1931 and then as Mole Valley District Council's headquarters until the new building opened.

## Towns and parishes

The former Leatherhead Urban District, which included Ashtead, Fetcham, Great Bookham and Little Bookham, is an unparished area, as is the majority of the former Dorking Urban District.
The rest of the district is covered by civil parishes:
* Abinger
* Betchworth
* Brockham
* Buckland
* Capel
* Charlwood
* Headley
* Holmwood
* Leigh
* Mickleham
* Newdigate
* Ockley
* Wotton

## Demographics

A Legatum Prosperity Index published by the Legatum Institute in October 2016 showed Mole Valley as the second most prosperous council area in the United Kingdom, after the nearby Borough of Waverley.

## Churches graded II* or above

| Church | Place | Listed building Class |
| St Michael | Betchworth | I |
| St Nicolas | Great Bookham | I |
| All Saints | Little Bookham | II* |
| St Nicholas | Charlwood | I |
| St Michael | Mickleham | I |
| St John the Evangelist | Wotton | I |
| St Mary & St Nicholas | Leatherhead | II* |
| St Barnabas | Ranmore Common | II* |
| St Mary | Pixham | II* |
| St Martin | Dorking | II* |
| St Mary | Fetcham | II* |
| St Giles | Ashtead | II* |
| St James | Abinger Common | II* |
| Holy Trinity | Westcott | II* |
| St Bartholomew | Leigh | II* |
| St Margaret | Ockley | II* |
| St John the Baptist | Walliswood | II* |

## Emergency services

Mole Valley is served by these emergency services:
* Surrey Police. Dorking Police Station is the lead station in Mole Valley Division, Leatherhead Police Station is now closed.
* South East Coast Ambulance Service The district has two Ambulance Stations – one in North Holmwood (1 mile (2 km) south of Dorking), and the other in Leatherhead.
* Surrey Fire & Rescue Service, The district has two Fire Stations one in North Holmwood and the other in Leatherhead.
* SURSAR, The district is covered by Surrey Search & Rescue
* Hospital, Each town has a small NHS Hospital with no A&E. They are used for outpatients and rehabilitation.

## Freedom of the District

* DMRC Headley Court received the Freedom of the District on 25 May 2010.